Hrithik
had very high hopes for his latest release “Kites”. Critics don’t share the
same feelings with him. He was recently heard saying, “I hardly take critics’
comments to heart. Even when they praised or criticised me in my previous
films. I would rather go by the box office collections.”
Kites
grossed over Rs 21 crore on its opening day, but the verdict is that the
audiences went to see the film but didn’t like it. The Spanish - Hindi -
English love story didn’t jell with the tastes of the masses in India.
The
story was not a gripping one. Of course the foreign audience might have a
different take on it. Hrithik maintains he tried something different and Kites
is the best film of his career.
To
the New York Daily News it was ‘An engaging Bollywood tale! Melodrama, romance
and action are cheerfully jumbled together .’
‘Kites’ is the most review Bollywood
movie by US Critcs. The New York Times considered it
‘all completely loony, but the stunts are impressive, the photography crisp and
the leads so adorably besotted that audiences might as well check their
cynicism at the door.’
‘A
lovers on-the-lam blast of pure pulp escapism. Directed by Anurag Basu with a
finger in every genre jar, ‘Kites’ caroms from car chase to shootout, from rain
dancing to bank robbing with unflagging energy,’ it said.
In
Times’ view Bollywood star ‘Roshan requires viewing uncut: writhing on the
dance floor or just gazing into space, the man was made to drive women crazy,
one movie at a time.’
Calling it ‘A romantic
adventure!’, Los Angeles Times noted ‘the love story draws from westerns,
musicals, film noir, chase thrillers with stunts so preposterous they verge on
parody – and it gets away with everything because of Basu’s visual bravura and
unstinting passion and energy.’ While the movie was seen as ‘An exhilarating
escapist entertainment that plays out like a violent and floridly poetic
allegory,’ the two top stars got noticed for their looks. ‘Mori has a sultry gorgeousness
that at times recalls Ava Gardner. Roshan has the dashing, chiselled looks of a
silent movie matinee idol.’
To the New York Daily News it was ‘An engaging Bollywood tale! Melodrama,
romance and action are cheerfully jumbled together .’
‘You’ll get more than your money’s worth,’ said Newsday describing it as ‘A
boldly old-fashioned, I’ll-die-without-you, nobly self-sacrificing movie
romance. Gorgeously photographed. The story is the stuff Old Hollywood
tear-jerkers are made of.’
Variety magazine found it ‘Deliriously entertaining!’ The film, it said, ‘owes
more to Hollywood than Bollywood, though director Anurag Basu borrows plenty
from both, aiming to give Indian song-and-dance pics the same sort of crossover
success ‘Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, did for Asian martial-arts movies.’
‘Indian star Hrithik Roshan makes a striking international debut in an
ambitious Bollywood crossover film. Grand, action-packed love story set amid
the garishness of Las Vegas,’ said The Hollywood Reporter.
”Kites’ flies! Entertaining and lovely to look at! It works perfectly well on
its own terms,’ said the Film Journal.
‘Roshan and Mori are as beautiful as human beings can be, and the love they
depict is as high-flown as you’ll find in a movie,’ said the San Franciso
Chronicle suggesting, ‘Go in smirking, but by the time it’s over, you’ll
believe.’
Philadelphia Inquirer found it ‘Preposterously entertaining!’ Chicago Newcity
called it ‘a glory of delirium. Anything can, and does, happen. I long for an
Amer-Indie movie with the same lunatic verve. As curry-dusted popcorn goes,
‘Kites’ is savoury distraction.’
Barbara Mori, is back in India for
the second time this month. This may be her last time for a while, and she
feels let down on two counts. The first once because of an unfavorable response
to her much awaited movie with Hrithik “Kites” and the second, her wish to see
the Taj mahal is left unfulfilled.
Just hours
after the negative feedback started coming in Barbara pretended to be oblivious
of what the critics and audiences said. Friday afternoon, the actress spent
time visiting multiplexes and theaters across Mumbai to interact with the fans.
The fall in excitement level was obvious, Barbara
said unconcernedly, “I’m really excited. I’m waiting for the Indian people’s
response. The premiere in New York and London was amazing. There were hordes of
Indians screaming for Hrithik and me. Let’s see how people here love it.”
When Barbara was informed that the
movie wasn’t loved too much, she argued back “It’s a
little different from Bollywood films. Kites has got a lot of Hollywood mixed
with Mexican culture and then packaged in Bollywood. It’s a different
experience,” she argued.
The
movie is 90 percent in Spanish and English with hindi subtitles, and Indian
audiences aren’t used to reading Hindi sub-titles. Somewhat angrily now,
Barbara replied, “The problem IS what the film is about. Kites is about two
people who cannot understand each other. She’s from Mexico and doesn’t speak
English. He’s from India and he doesn’t speak Spanish. And they fall in love.
My brother thinks it is my best film to date. Friends in New York enjoyed it
too.”
Barbara now heads for
Venezuela to star in her next film. “And then I’m back home in Mexico to
produce a play which I’ll be acting in. I really like being on stage,” the
actress said. As for the Taj Mahal, she’s hoping to be back in India for
another film next year “and then I’ll see the Taj Mahal”.
"The bigger the budget... the bigger the names... the bigger the hype, hoopla and razzmatazz... the bigger the expectations from the film. KITES has some of the biggest names in the business - Rakesh Roshan, Anurag Basu and Hrithik Roshan, to name a few - and the film, therefore, carries this gargantuan responsibility on its shoulders. It has to soar higher than the hits delivered by this trio. Anything less will just not do!
The million dollar question is, does KITES fly high? Let me hit the nail on the head: The film has some terrific moments and of course, Hrithik Roshan's star power to cast a spell, but it has plenty of low moments. In fact, KITES could've been a cult film, but its writing relies too heavily on clichés and formulaic stuff and that, frankly, throws a spanner.
KITES is visually stunning and makes a sweeping impact, but it totters in its writing department. The story bears an uncanny resemblance to K. Balachander's EK DUUJE KE LIYE, Tony Scott's REVENGE and Rakesh Roshan's very own KOYLA. Also, the story hardly moves in the first hour, but gets into the groove towards the second hour. Of course, you might grumble that the film gets very 'Bollywoodish' at times, but the negatives and blemishes get camouflaged, at times, by that one name that spells magic: Hrithik Roshan.
Final word? KITES will meet with diverse reactions, but the one unanimous thing that it will gather in abundance would be the immense praise for this matchless actor called Hrithik Roshan. He alone is worth the price of the ticket and more. Wish I could say that for the film in entirety!
In the harsh terrain of the Mexican desert, a wounded man is left for dead in the heat of the desert sun. This is J [Hrithik Roshan], once a street-smart, carefree, young guy and now a wanted man. The only thing that keeps him alive is the quest to find the love of his life, Natasha [Barbara Mori]. A woman, engaged to another man, but surely destined for J. A woman, who comes into his life like a bolt of lightning and changes it forever.
KITES is stylish and slick, filmed like any international film. In fact, I am dead sure, the intention is to go beyond the diaspora and cut across to an audience that still thinks that Bollywood is the usual song-n-dance routine merely. The film has an eclectic first hour, even though the pacing is sluggish and there's not much movement in the story. But the post-interval portions are erratic; it keep you hooked at places, it slips at times.
KITES is desi at heart, but also takes a few steps that might be considered risky by Bollywood standards. The leading lady speaks in Spanish and the makers have used sub-titles for people to comprehend. This, very frankly, might not go down too well with the traditional audiences. The second aspect that catches you completely unaware is the finale, which, though amazingly shot, will have its share of advocates and adversaries. Some may like it, while some may argue, not done!
But without revealing much, I admit that the end is not formulaic at all. Given the fact that Bollywood wants to play safe all the while, most storytellers tend to follow the tried and tested rules of the game, but the finale is truly emotional and befits a love story by all means.
Anurag Basu has proved his mettle in the past and although this may not be the most cohesive script he has worked on, there's no denying that KITES keeps you involved at places. Note the sequence when Hrithik sets his eyes on Barbara for the first time. Or the intro of Kangna's bro Nicholas Brown. Or the finale, of course.
But the writing could've been tighter. Kangna has a half-baked track. The culmination to Nicholas Brown's track looks convenient. There's no mention of Kabir Bedi - the most influential man - after a point. The couple's encounters with the American police look ludicrous. These weigh the film down, honestly.
Rajesh Roshan's music is strictly okay. The score isn't a patch on this combo's [Rakesh Roshan and Rajesh Roshan] earlier works. However, Salim-Sulaiman's background score compliments the style and composition of sequences and truly appears as an international score. Ayananka Bose's cinematography is splendid. The chase sequences are awe-inspiring, especially the one when car after car is smashed into smithereens.
Hrithik is unbeatable and that's the truth. Very few actors can rise above the script and Hrithik is one of them. He's the lifeline of this film. Barbara Mori looks perfect for her part, but appears slightly mature at places. Nonetheless, the chemistry between Hrithik and Barbara is electrifying. Kangna is wasted. Kabir Bedi does a decent job. Nicholas Brown, as Kangna's brother and Barbara's fiancé, is top notch and adds a lot of freshness to the film.
On the whole, KITES has style, visuals and Hrithik Roshan as its trump cards, but its content leaves a lot to be desired. The film has evoked tremendous curiosity, which will translate into great numbers in its initial week. The wide release, the number of shows at every cineplex and lack of any film opposition will help the film set new records initially, but the huge costs on the other hand will play a spoilsport."
“We have very high expectations from `Kites` as after `3 Idiots` this
will be the biggest release. We are going to have 13 shows per three
screen and 14 shows per four property respectively for the movie,”
Deepak Taluja, senior vice president of Fun
Cinemas, told reporters. “In terms of paid previews, as of now we just have one show (for
Thursday night) but if (booking) response will be good, we`ll look for
more,” he added.
A senior executive from PVR cinemas said on condition of anonymity
that “Kites” has a very good pre-release buzz. “And after `3 Idiots`, we
have very high hopes with this one. If all goes well, this could
anywhere be the successor of `3 Idiots`. On an average we are keeping around 10-15 shows per property for the
movie. The advance bookings have already opened and it`s picking up
well while the paid preview bookings for Thursday is decent so far,” the
source added.
Produced by Rakesh Roshan and directed by Anurag Basu, “Kites” is a
mega-budget venture worth Rs.150 crore in three versions - English,
Hindi and Spanish. While the Hindi version will hit screens Friday, the
crisper and racier English version, edited by Hollywood fame Brett
Ratner, is scheduled for a May 28 release.
The film also stars Kabir Bedi and Kangana Ranaut in cameos.
Releasing simultaneously on more than 2,300 screens worldwide,
including over 500 overseas in over 60 countries, it is being
distributed by Reliance Big Pictures.
Shot in Los Angeles, Las Vegas and Santa Fe, “Kites” is a love story
about an Indian man and a Latin woman who fall in love without
understanding each others` languages. It is about their thrilling
journey filled with precious moments and unexpected betrayal.
To cash in on the unprecedented buzz and hype, Amit Awasthi, manager
(programming and operations) of Spice Cinemas, has big plans.
“We are looking at `Kites` as a super duper hit. We are going to have
33 shows per day for the movie with the capacity of 8,600 seats per day
and we expect a mass footfall because of its successful commercial
banner and huge star cast like Hrithik and Barbara,” Awasthi said.
“3 Idiots” grossed about Rs.400 crore, making it Indian cinema`s
highest earner.
“`Kites` will repeat the big bang theory in cinema. We are going to
have on an average 15 shows per property and around three paid previews
Thursday night. Hrithik and Barbara`s chemistry is going to scorch the
screens,” said Yogesh Raizada, corporate head (cinemas) of Wave Cinemas.
Director Basu says with its international appeal, “Kites” will take
Bollywood globally in the true sense.
